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May 13, 2019emerge rated this title 3.5 out of 5 stars
This is a stand alone that ties in to the author’s David Sloane series. Charlie Jenkins is the MC, a former CIA agent whose past comes back to haunt him. Forty years ago, Charlie walked away from his career after a case left him disillusioned & disgusted with the job. Now he lives on a farm in Washington state with his wife & son & runs a private security firm. Money is tight, especially with another baby on the way. So when his old CIA handler shows up with a paying proposition, it gets Charlie’s attention. The job: go to Moscow for the security firm, make contact with the FSB (new KGB) & convince them he’s a disgruntled former CIA agent with info for sale. His real task is to identify a Russian agent who is killing long time American assets. Sure. What could possibly go wrong? Oh man, where to start……Suffice to say things don’t go as planned & on his second trip to Moscow, Charlie finds himself running for his life. But what he doesn’t realize is getting home in one piece is only half the battle. The first 60% is a rip-roaring tale of espionage with all the proper ingredients. Clandestine meetings, deadly Russians, Gorky Park & lots of vodka. There’s even a femme fatale. Charlie has to draw on old skills as he tries to evade a determined FSB agent & make it back to the States. It’s a tense, wild ride & we all breathe a collective sigh of relief when he makes it home. But maybe don’t pop the champagne just yet. Seriously, this guy cannot buy a break. I don’t want to give away too much about the second act but at this point, action switches to the court room after Charlie is arrested. He calls on old friend/lawyer David Sloane to defend him in what is literally a hopeless case that could put him away for life. Dugoni excels at creating clever suspense populated with well developed characters. In Charlie, we get a sympathetic MC, a man with integrity who just wants to provide for his family. The surrounding cast is an interesting mix & it can be a challenge to tell the good guys from the bad. One of the standouts was Viktor, a burly FSB agent who I became quite fond of. All in all, it’s an entertaining read full of twists that will keep you turning the pages.